Eric Garner could have been saved by proper medical care: Dr. Cyril Wecht

Eric Garner died after an arrest in which a cop used an illegal chokehold. (New York Daily News)

A Staten Island man who died after an officer put him in a chokehold may have survived if he was given proper medical attention, said famed pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht.

Wecht, who has been a consultant in several high-profile cases including JonBenet Ramsey and Anna Nicole Smith, said Eric Garner should have been immediately placed upright. "You want to position him in such a way to facilitate breathing," he said.

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Garner's death was likely caused by a dangerous combination of a chokehold and being pinned down, Wecht said.

A preliminary autopsy showed no signs of asphyxiation or a crushed windpipe.